New Faces Surprise, Big Threats Advance at Rincon 50 Surf Fest

Style, steeze, and poise took center stage at Domes Beach, Puerto Rico, for opening day of the Rincon 50 Surf Fest with a dose of progressive maneuvers thrown in to mix things up.

Now, the opening jitters are out and surfers prepare to continue their charge for a spot in the upcoming World Longboard Championships at Jinzung Harbor, Taiwan. Both men and women's Round 1 affairs were completed before the island's ill-tempered tropical storms began with increased south winds ending competition for the day.

Early Stirrings in PR

Dakota Faircloth shook the event up right away with a decisive win using the inside left on offer before conditions picked up.WSL / Darren Muschett

Huntington Beach, California's, Dakota Faircloth started off the day with a big win over 2x World Champion Piccolo Clemente, also advancing, in Round 1 Heat 1. It was a slow start to competition, but Faircloth was able to find waves that gave him opportunities for showing quick walks to the nose before having to shuffle back and save his rides. The Californian hasn't competed in a WSL Longboard event and now looks to break through.

"Getting the first round out of the way was a big weight off the shoulders after traveling all the way here," Faircloth said. "I haven't done this caliber of contest in a long time and surfing with world-class guys like Piccolo was great to know I could get a heat win over him. It's a big confidence boost. The hospitality from the local crew is amazing and the surfing they've doing in the freesurfs is great to see. It's also a lot of my friends here at the event so I feel comfortable and right at home."

Puerto Ricans Stumble on Opening Day, Save One

Zahid Marrero locks one in for the home island.WSL / Darren Muschett

It also began a chain-reaction for the Puerto Rican's that witnessed all their countrymen eliminated -- except for 14-year-old Zahid Marrero. The local competitor was ecstatic finding out he won the heat over Peruvian Jorge Vilchhez, also advancing, alongside Jeremy Guilmette and fellow Puerto Rican Luis Guzman. But, it's all fun for the young talent as he embraces the moment at hand.

"That was awesome and I honestly just went in there to have fun with no real strategy which helped keep the nerves down," Marrero said. "I was a little nervous knowing how good they are, but the waves are really fun right now and it's great to see this event happening. I was able to get into this event last minute and I love the opportunity to compete around home. Everyone was just saying you have to do it and maybe I'll make a heat, but then I came out hearing 'you got first-place' and I couldn't believe it."

Japanese Succeed

Tony Silvagni laid down the men's highest heat total of 14.25 (out of a possible 20), matching the top single-wave score of a 7.50 (out of a possible 10), but a surprise performance from Japanese competitor Kai Hamase, who is joined by countrymen Kenji Gonnokami, nearly surpassed Silvagni with a 14.05 of his own. The Kanagawa, Japan, native came here with one goal in mind outside of his region and start building momentum toward 2019.

"It's a nice wave here and I just wanted to get a few good ones for a chance at scores, but it was tricky to find the right one," Hamase said. "It's my first time here and I just want to win this event. I've done a few events, but haven't gotten a really good result so to get a win here would mean a lot. There's a lot of good surfers and this place is great so I'm happy to keep going, hopefully do even better in the next round."

Austin Hollingshead Shaking Off the Cobwebs in Style

Hollingshead hasn't been around competition for over a year, but picked up right where he left off.WSL / Darren Muschett

This marks a big event for Hollingshead as he makes his WSL LQS debut and made it count with a Round 1 heat win. The Floridian has spent enough time in Puerto Rico to feel right at home on it shores and that comfort showed despite a tall order at hand.

"This is insane with warm water, fun waves, and it feels like home here after living in Puerto Rico for two or three months at a time over the past few years," Hollingshead said. "To go from surfing a lot of the contests in Florida, taking a year off, and then to come back to a WSL event in one of my backyards after figuring out how I wanted to surf -- I can't even explain how happy I am. This opportunity kind of put me in a daze knowing you can make it to Taiwan by winning this event. I thought okay, pressure's on, but I've always put that out of my head so it's good to just be able to have fun."